Time to do a runner. (Photo: Rosalind Molteno) Guide Gabriel Harmer and I set off for a sunrise game drive in a private game reserve in the Greater Kruger region and soon came across the 20-strong Kambula pride of lions. They were lying, well-camouflaged in the long, dry winter grass, keenly watching a herd of buffalo in the distance.
The scene seemed set for a hunt, so we waited patiently for some hunting action. There was action of another kind – a magnificent male lion and two lionesses were clearly more interested in mating.
After a while, we drove towards the herd of buffalo where the Kambulas were on high alert, intensely focused on the buffalo. To our amazement, a pangolin strolled into the scene. Big mistake.
The older females showed little interest but the young lions were onto it. The pangolin did what pangolins do best. It curled into a ball as the lions tried to figure out how to get the meat they knew was inside the scales.
This went on for almost an hour, with the pangolin pounced on, mauled and batted around by several young lions. Finally, defeated, the lions moved away and, after a few minutes, the pangolin uncurled and walked towards us, completely unharmed. Then it disappeared into the safety of a termite mound.
It was our ambassador for World Pangolin Day (15 February 25).
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/The-Kambula-pride.jpg "The Kambula pride. (Photo: Rosalind Molteno)")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Trying-to-unzip-a-pangolin-1.jpg "Trying to unzip a pangolin. (Photo: Rosalind Molteno)")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Theres-meat-in-there-Im-certain-but-how-to-get-it_.jpg "There's meat in there, Im certain, but how to get it. (Photo: Rosalind Molteno)")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Testing-the-situation.jpg "Testing the situation. (Photo: Rosalind Molteno)")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Perhaps-it-needs-patience.jpg "Perhaps it needs patience. (Photo: Rosalind Molteno)")
Fact file
World Pangolin Day was started to draw attention to the threats that pangolins face and the urgent need to protect them. They are the world’s most trafficked wildlife. They are hunted and poached for their meat and their scales, which are believed to have medicinal properties in some traditional medicines.
The demand for pangolin products is increasing, leading to a significant decline in their population. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, all eight species are threatened with extinction.
World Pangolin Day is an opportunity to educate people about the importance of pangolins and their role in the ecosystem. It’s also a day to raise awareness about the need to protect and conserve them and to promote sustainable practices that can help reduce the demand for pangolin products. DM
For more information see the African Pangolin Working Group.